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DNA repair

A unifying mechanism in neurodegeneration

Nature volume 541, pages 34–35 (2017)Cite this article

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Identification of a previously uncharacterized genetic disease highlights DNA repair as a shared mechanism in neurodegenerative disorders, and suggests potential therapeutic approaches to tackling them. See Letter p.87

Neurodegenerative disorders are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide, and are a growing burden on the ageing population. Research has highlighted some common themes, including roles for abnormal and misfolded proteins1. But the cellular mechanisms underlying these commonalities have remained stubbornly complex. On page 87, Hoch et al.2 report the identification of a neurodegenerative disease that involves DNA repair; their result highlights alteration of this process as a potential contributor to many neurodegenerative diseases.

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Figure 1: Errors in an error-correcting mechanism.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Ray Truant is in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N3Z5, Canada.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Christopher A. Ross is in the Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA.,

    Christopher A. Ross & Ray Truant

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  1. Christopher A. Ross
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  2. Ray Truant
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Christopher A. Ross or Ray Truant.

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Ross, C., Truant, R. A unifying mechanism in neurodegeneration. Nature 541, 34–35 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature21107

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